Google to buy Motorola Mobile for $12.5 billion

U.S. Internet giant Google said Monday it would buy Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., the resurgent mobile device maker, for $12.5 billion in cash.

Motorola introduced the first mobile phone nearly 30 years ago, but has lately struggled with enormous pressure from competitors, including Apple and Nokia, in a business with swiftly evolving technology.

Motorola Mobility, however, split from the main company eight months ago and has seen revenues rise 28 percent in the second quarter.

Google touted Motorola's commitment to the open platform Android operating system, which it developed and which it says will remain open to other hardware companies.

"Today, more than 150 million Android devices have been activated worldwide," Google's Chief Executive Officer Larry Page said in an online posting.

"Given Android's phenomenal success, we are always looking for ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem," Page said.

Google's purchase price represents a 60 percent premium on Motorola's closing Friday price in the stock market.

Google, which expects the deal to close in 2012, will be beefing up its portfolio of patents just after losing out on a multibillion-dollar patent auction hosted by bankrupt Canadian phonemaker Nortel.

Interesting Facts about Vervet Monkey

The vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) is one of the most common monkeys found in eastern Africa, ranging from Sudan to the southern tip of South Africa. They abound in savannas, forests and even lofty mountains. Being highly adaptable, they can even be found close to human dwellings and urban habitats. This species is also found in the Caribbean islands of Barbados and St. Kitts where they were originally introduced as pets.



Adult vervet monkeys are larger than the females, and weigh approximately 12 lb, whereas females weigh somewhere between 10 and 12 lb. Vervet monkeys eat many different types of fruits, flowers, and seeds. Figs are their favorite fruit. If vegetation is scarce, they will even eat birds' eggs, small chicks and birds, and small insects like grasshoppers. Vervets living close to human populations can be a pest and are known to raid fields of maize and destroy other crops.



Interesting Facts about the Vervet Monkey

• Vervet monkey is distinguished by its characteristic black face, bordered by a white fringe.
• These animals are gregarious and live in groups called troops of 40-80, mostly made up of adult females and their offspring. Social hierarchy is very strictly followed in troops. A juvenile's status in a troop is determined by its mother's. Even adult vervets are relegated to lower ranks and have to obey younger monkeys with a higher social status. This hierarchy is very important for the vervets' survival because it controls the relationships, and mating and feeding habits.
• Vervet monkeys are born with a pink face and black hair. They take on the grayish-green color like that of the adults after 4 months.
• Male vervets have a blue scrotum and bright red penis.
• Young vervet monkeys can be mischievous and purposefully give wrong calls and wait and watch how the adults will respond to such behavior! Female monkeys are known to discipline the young ones for such conduct.
• Young monkeys are very playful, and their favorite activities are chasing one another and pushing each other down from the branches of trees.
• Vervets are excellent jumpers and swimmers.
• Vervets have evolved a unique alarm call, wherein they alert members of their troops of impending predators with clear-cut calls for different animals of prey, like eagle or leopard. Juvenile vervet monkeys inherit an inborn ability to mimic these warning signals.
• Male vervets emit a shrill sound when marking their territories, and females produce a high-pitched squeal to reject any unwanted advances from males during mating.
• Immediately after birth, the female licks the baby clean and eats up the placenta.
• Adult females look after their young ones, and do not have another offspring till the baby grows up and is mature enough to fend for itself. If she happens to lose her baby, she will mourn for days together, and try to conceive as soon as possible to revive the mother-child bonding experience.
• Female vervet monkeys form close social bonds with other females from an early age. As they attain maturity, they even look after and care for a newborn provided the mother readily agrees to leave it in their care.
• As with other monkeys, grooming is an important aspect of vervets. They groom each other by removing lodged dirt and bugs from other vervets' fur.
• Vervet monkeys are hunted down for bushmeat.
• These monkeys are used in laboratory and biomedical research and tissue of the vervet monkeys is used to prepare polio vaccines.

Even though vervet monkeys are not an endangered species, their population has seen a decline in recent years. Troops living close to human habitation are sometimes killed by high-tension power lines, and people are known to poison them and even shoot them. They are captured for their use in medical research. The bushmeat trade has also contributed to the dwindling population. Deforestation should also be avoided, so we do not disturb their natural habitat. A lot of organizations are involved in conserving vervet monkeys. Together, we should work to safeguard their habitat so these animals can rightfully live and thrive in the African forests.

How to Play Badminton

Well, let's get to the basics first. Badminton is a game played with a racket and a shuttlecock (known as shuttle birdie in some parts of the world), between two or four players. It was introduced into the Olympics in 1992 as men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Badminton is an indoor game. There are several similarities between badminton and tennis; and also an equal number of differences. However, playing badminton is considered easier than tennis, though many will disagree. If you wish to know how to play badminton, then here are some easy tips that will be helpful for beginners.

Game Play

• Both, the server and the opponent should stand inside their service courts during the serve.
• In singles as well as doubles, the serve is always done diagonally from one's own right corner to the right corner of the opponent.
• Now, unlike tennis, the birdie should not bounce on the opponent's court before he hits it. It is a direct shot between the server and the opponent.
• The serve should always be done underhand. You can either serve forehand or backhand. However, you should make sure that the serve is underhand.
• The opponent should try to hit the birdie back to the server, without touching the net.
• The back and forth hitting continues until the birdie falls on the ground. Also refer to how to grip a badminton racket
• The lift, the push, and the drive are the common shots that are used while hitting the birdie back to the opponent.
• If the birdie is below the height of the net, you need to lift the birdie upwards to send it back to the opponent's court. Secondly, you can push very slowly to the opponent's court too. Thirdly, you can drive it flat to the opponent's court with full strength.
• Lastly, you should note that you can hit the birdie only once in order to defend / attack and send it back. No double shots or hitting the birdie twice (by the same player) is allowed.